Friends reflect on LGBTQ icon Harriet Hancock – the “Mother of SC Pride”
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Harriet Hancock — the LGBTQ trailblazer more affectionately known as “Mama Harriet” and the Mother of South Carolina Pride — has died at 89-years-old.
Harriet’s fight for the LGBTQ community began when her son, Greg, came out as gay in the early 1980’s.
Friends say she saw firsthand how he and his friends were being discriminated against — and she decided to make a change. Harriet went back to law school at 48 years old — becoming an attorney to fight for the community’s civil rights.
“A fierce mama bear…it’s not just that she wasn’t going to take it, she was going to make it her life’s work to change it,” says Nekki Shutt, President of the SC Bar Association, adding, “She is an icon in our community. She is a hero. She is somebody, no matter what bad had happened to you, you could call Harriett, and Harriett would find a way to help you solve it.”
Harriet would also found or help co-found four state organizations including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services (PALSS).
Harriet also helped organized SC’s first gay and lesbian pride march in 1990.
“She was a pivotal person at a pivotal moment in the history of our community in our state,” says former SC Poet Laureate and USC Professor Ed Madden.
Gerald McNair and David Alexander have been together for 20 years and have known Harriet for the last 16 years.
They were recently given the legacy award for their contributions to the LGBTQ community, presented by the Harriet Hancock Center.
“I think she leaves a legacy of love and compassion, to look after those who need to be loved, who simply are human just like anyone else,” says Alexander.
“Harriet did stuff that was unimaginable 40 years ago,” says McNair, adding, “She is the one that would be on that cliff by herself. Even if the door was shut, Harriett would kick in that door.”
Everyone agrees that Harriet led with love.
“She made it safe to be here and to be out. Because you know she wasn’t gay, she was an ally,” says Shutt. “She transformed our culture,” says Madden. “She was a fighter, she was fearless, and she was full of love,” says Alexander.
Funeral arrangements for Harriet are expected to be announced in the coming days.
